The allegory of irresponsibility
The narrator is wildly irresponsible in this novel. When he meets a pretty girl who lets him hang out in her group of friends, his indulgence get in the way of his financial safety, even though he is an immigrant in rather serious poverty. He ends up spending himself into serious debt, and then to make matters worse, he ends up selling that debt to the literal Russian mafia.
The motif of power loss
Throughout the novel, Vladimir loses power. He loses financial autonomy by mismanaging his money and by overspending. He loses his physical autonomy by indebting himself to the mob, and finally, he loses his own health and safety by his relationships to them. He doesn't have parental support because he failed to impress his parents, always settling for bare minimum. Ultimately, the novel focuses on these instances as demonstrations of ways Vladimir naively handed away his power.
Jordi's symbolic scene
Jordi is a powerful man, and he is a career criminal, a hardened criminal at that. When he invites Vladimir to bed, it doesn't seem to be romantic, although Jordi's intentions are clearly sexual. Instead, it seems that Jordi is demonstrating something to Vladimir, using forced sex as a symbol. Vladimir gets away, but the implication is clear: Vladimir has left himself vulnerable to these power-hungry men. Jordi's actions represent that the mob views Vladimir as a slave.
Francesca's lifestyle
Francesca's lifestyle is sexy and fun, but it's also expensive. Vladimir doesn't have very many friends though, so when Francesca invites him to go out, he always says yes, but he ends up in debt. She represents the temptation that Vladimir feels to live as if he isn't actually an impoverished immigrant, to become detached from the reality of his situation just to indulge in a few hours of fun. In the end, this is another demonstration of Vladimir's waywardness.
Emma Lazarus Immigrant Absorption Society
In the beginning of the novel, Vladimir worked here, for this absorption society, working for minimum wage at a job that doesn't mean much to him. This is a signal to the reader that Vladimir has not taken responsibility for his life yet, because he still isn't getting what he wants out of life, and he continually makes poor decisions that limit his fate.
